The role of modern information technologies on the empowerment of women: case study Kampala city

Abstract

This study evaluates the influence of ICTs on the empowerment of women. It seeks answer the question of whether or not ICTs are actually empowering women if so, in what ways, if not, why. The study also sought out the forms of ICTs assessed by women, to create a better understanding of the barriers to empowerment that women face in ICTs and to come up with more effective solutions to overcoming obstacles to women's empowerment through ICTs. The study shows that women are indeed being empowered economically through computer technology, but overall adoption of this technology is very small. There is a high lack of awareness among women as to the potential that the technology had for improving their lives but even those who are aware are not being empowered because of lack of time, money, motivation or the nature of their business. The findings indicate that there are enormous opportunities for women in internet technology as users of the technology, participants in the civil society are consumers of the technology. The opportunities for women's social, economic and political empowerment through the internet are too great to be dismissed. However, this study has recognized the disparity in connectivity between the urban and the rural dwellers, more so between gender relationships in the production, control attitude and access to the ICTs. In other words, the relationships of power between women on the Internet, roles and resource allocation of the needs of the two genders is far from being equal. It is evidently clear that most of the information circulating on the Internet is modeled in the male view point let alone the designing of the technology and its availability to both genders. This has caused a huge imbalance in the utilization of this valuable resource and manipulation of the available information by the women for their empowerment.